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Repair that isn't fun, Fisher 2 Stage Tailgate Spreader

You guys have heard me ramp and rave about how could that Fisher tailgate spreader is, and how everyone should buy one.

We were finishing up on that last storm X-mas eve, when I got a call for a drive that wanted sand. Well I didn't want to bother to get out a big truck, load up the sander, and go to the job. So I said well, just fill up the Fisher two stage tailgate and go sand the drive real quick. Well i go to start the spreader, and no sand comes out, so i get out of of the truck to check on the spreader. Then I hear a snap, i am like that sounds good. So here is the deal.

The drive shaft comming out of the gearbox broke. Not enough room to weld the shaft, must buy a new gear box, or have a new shaft machined. New box cost 525 bucks from my local fisher dealer, so that option is out, machine shop said they could do it for 100.

So my mechanic tears the spreader down. I mean takes off the hopper, the spinner, the spinner gard and deflector. Go to take the roller out from the conevoyor belt. Won't come out, why because there is just enough of the broken shaft, to keep it from clearing the frame of the sander. So now the frame must be cut, no other way to get the roller out. So 2 quick cuts and a bend of the channel and the roller is out.

The roller and gear box shaft are sent off to the machine shop, to have the rest of the old shaft bored out, and a new shaft machined. New shaft should be in Friday.

So here is my question, has anyone had to replace the converyor belt on one of these? Cause that job can't be fun.

By the way, Fisher doesn't sell parts for the gear box, just a new box. If you ever break an output shaft, go to a machine shop, and have a newone machined.

I have the fisher speedcasterII I had to do a repair on it when someone backed into it had to take the hopper ,belt off could not get the plate under the belt out because of the bend in the frame.Have not had that happen yet and I hope that it doesn't.Fisher theu really are not thinking of the working man well really none of them are just keep buying there high priced parts .

Make yourself something to protect that salter on the back of the truck.We have had two ruined due to being rearended.Thankfully the insurance co covered it.Since then I have fabbed a few different types of protection for the rear mounted salters.

My latest type is a new rear bumper that has a removable mount for the tailgate salter (no holes in truck),so the salter lifts off in seconds,as well as built in lights and backup alarm.It also has a removable "U" shaped bar that comes out behind salter and protects it.It made of 2X3 (.250) steel which should do the job.It comes off the bumper assy with two pins when the salter comes off.

Another way is to just make up something that mounts into your trailer hitch.Extend it out past the rear of the salter and add a piece of channel or something to form a bumper of sorts.Cheap and easy to make.

Whatever style you decide to use,get some expanded metal mesh,and weld it on top of it to make a non-slip foothold so you can get up on it to check out the salter or get into the truck without slipping.

Well lucky for me it was more heating and banging out metal.Only had to cut out one area and reweld it but no replacement parts .the unit still worked even after it was hit but not very well becuase of the bend.Geoff I would like to know how you make out with it and what the finnal cost of repairing it was ,who knows might need it done myself someday.These are great little units but you can't fill it up to the top and run with them all day and sand at the end compacts too much.do you load it up just before use ?

Total Cost, 1 new shaft out of the gear box, Machined at a local machine shop for 95.23.

About 4 hours in labor.

The hardest problem with this repair is the tollarances are so tight in between the roller, and the frame that part of the frame had to be cut to remove the roller. The remainder of the shaft that was in the roller, made the roller to long to drop out. We also did our repair with out breaking the belt, had we removed the belt it probably would have gone much quicker.